handily archived, just waiting for rediscovery. Audio dramas have long been something of a fringe interest, at least since the inception of television, and a lot of the medium’s more popular shows that ran in the 1940s and 1950s have fallen into the cracks of popular culture. This is a pity, as the medium boasts a wide variety of genres, as well as sharp writing, excellent acting, and bizarre concepts that could never be realized visually. Indeed, we have radio to thank for the proliferation of modern superheroes like Superman.
“Dimension X” is also credited for being the first adult-oriented, regularly broadcast sci-fi series to air on the radio. There had, of course, been other kid-friendly sci-fi shows and single sci-fi episodes of anthology series (we all remember the Mercury Theater’s production of “War of the Worlds”), but “Dimension X” was the first regular all sci-fi show. In 1950, the genre was exploding in popularity, and the creatives behind “Dimension X” wanted to jump on the bandwagon. The show’s most famous episode might be its adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s “The Martian Chronicles,” which captured the bleak weirdness of Bradbury’s tales.
It should come as no surprise to learn that Stephen King was a big fan of “Dimension X.” Back in 2013, King was a guest on NPR’s “Fresh Air,” and he shared some of his early memories of sneaking out of bed at night and listening to “Dimension X” through his mom’s bedroom door.
